PIC Programmer Adapter Board

[LifeForce4]

I am getting a PICkit2 and thought instead of only using it for ICSP I'd attempt to make a universal board. From my limited knowledge (past week of reading and searching) of PIC's this is what I came up with. Any suggestions or if this will even function? I looked at a lot of data sheets on PIC's and the ones I saw seem to have the same pin locations. If I get good enough at these micro controllers I'll attempt to make some auto detecting board so it only requires one ZIF. Then it will be just like the higher end production programmers.

**broken link removed**

Thanks

 

[3v0]

I made one so I can program PICs with bootloaders and PICs for building programmers.

It very rarely gets used. ICSP works too darn well.

3v0

 

[LifeForce4]

For ICSP do you design a 6 pin header in your circuits or have individual connections right next to the PIC Pins and use wires?

Thanks

 

[Iceman-]

The best thing for ICSP is to put the 5 or 6 pin header footprint on your board and make the holes a little too small. Then use spring loaded contacts on a cable connected to your programmer. It saves space above your board and allows for fast programming.

 

[LifeForce4]

The best thing for ICSP is to put the 5 or 6 pin header footprint on your board and make the holes a little too small. Then use spring loaded contacts on a cable connected to your programmer. It saves space above your board and allows for fast programming.

What a great idea! I think I will adopt that.

Thank you,

 

[Wp100]

Hi,

This little Zif board seems just the job ..?

**broken link removed**

 

[LifeForce4]

Wp100: Yeah that pretty much is the same as what I designed. One question I have about their schematics is the reason for J2 how it has Pins 1,2 with a capacitor then going to ground?

https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2009/08/DB-DP101.pdf

Thanks,

 

[Wp100]

Hi,

The point I was making was about the price of the board - $6 for three Zif sockets on a pcb as well !

The 2 caps - C1 100nf across Vdd / Vss is a recommended fit to any pic power rails.
C2 across Mclre - assume it must work ok, but it could slow down the Mclre signal rise time - in which case just leave it out - not really needed.

I use C2 on my own boards but as part of the reset switch circutry which is isolated from the programmers Mclre signal by a diode. See Microchips Pickit2 Users Guide for full details of these icsp circuits if interested.

 

[LifeForce4]

Thank you for the information, the main reason for making this board was just a project that would help me with the understanding of pic programming. Not really the cost but now $6 for ZIF sockets and pcb is really nice. I'll check out the PICkit2 UG.

Thanks again,

 

[Wp100]

Hi,

You cannot go wrong with the Pk2, I think that once you get into developing your own programs etc, you will start to appreciate the function of ICSP.

Moving chips from your programmer socket to you dev board socket becomes a pain, plus you will find leaving your PK2 dedicated to the three programming pins means you can run Debugger without any further disturbance.

however its is always handy to have a separate programmer board, have a look at the P16PRO parallel port programmers, some of those plans show how to optimise connections to the ic sockets for programming.
https://www.electro-tech-online.com/custompdfs/2009/08/p16pro40.pdf

 

[3v0]

I never liked having to figure out how to put a 18 pin chip into a 40 pin socket so I built a board with one of each. It also includes ICSP for junebug (2x5) and the (1x6) connector.

The attachments include a pdf of the foil and zip contains the eagle files. The 40 and 28 pin include a placed for resonators so you can run and debug from these sockets.

Machine pin sockets would be better as they last longer.

Not a great bit of work but it does the job.

 

[LifeForce4]

I was looking at the P16Pro but I don't have parallel/serial ports on my computers now. Which is why I picked the PK2 for USB, among other things. Cool I'll take a look at that 3v0 thank you.

Thanks for all the information. I probably will like ICSP I just want to keep my circuits simple and clean while I learn.